For I have Kissed Thee a Thousand Times
by whiterose blackrose
Summary: "A kiss is a secret told to the mouth instead of the ear; kisses are the messengers of love and tenderness." (Ingrid Bergman) There are all different types of kisses. Each one conveys a different emotion and some are so simple that we don't even stop to think about them. Here are eleven Romangers kisses taking place at various points in their lives. Some AU and some will be cannon.
1. Good Morning Kiss

Sun creeps in between the curtains, making the lone figure in the bed roll over, groaning as it stretches aching muscles. Burying her face further into the nearest pillow, the one that smells like lemon, man musk, and army regulated soap. A soft smile curls at the edge of her lip as she inhales deeply, her lungs filled with the smell of love and life and a happiness she's still not sure she's allowed to keep.

Her eyes flutter open as a crash echoes from the kitchen, revealing dark jade forest eyes that twinkle with mirth at the thought of what could possibly be going on in the other room. Rolling over, she puts her face to the sun, greeting the new day with a lightness in her heart and still unfamiliar smile on her face. Even with how long it's been… since the Battle of New York… since Ultron and the forming of a new SHIELD.

Since she found her way back to the side of the man who brought her back from the edge of herself, the edge of the Earth.

"Good morning," a soft voice says from the door. Running a hand through the fire that is her hair, she smiles sleepily up at the man.

"Mornin'," her voice husky from sleep and from screaming orders at her team the night before.

"I made breakfast." When she allows her eyes to focus, he's standing before her in a pair of sweatpants and nothing else, carrying a tray with pancakes on it. "Hope this is enough for your."

She smiles at him, allowing him to set the tray down before she reaches for him. He chuckles at her angel-like face, framed by fiery locks that make her look like heaven and hell wrapped up in blood and tears and skin. "It's definitely enough for both of us." His eyes sparkle back at her, the happiness flowing from his lips to hers as he presses a tender kiss there.

"Mmhm." She makes a soft noise to show her appreciation and she can feel his smile when he presses a kiss to her throat. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispers back as he places a hand on her stomach.

**So, these are just short little one-shots of the whole 'kiss meme' that I've seen lately. I know that this one is short, but others, where I can add more to the story because of what the kiss is. So, yeah. This will be eleven chapters, one for each kiss. **

**I'm also thinking of starting a one-shot prompt collection. So if anyone wants to send me prompts, I can write those too. But, unfortunately, I don't write smut, but I can write leading up to it! So send me prompts and review this story! Oh, and go check out my other Romangers stories!**

**There is now a poll on my profile in which you can vote on the next kiss! There will be a new poll after every update!**


	2. Forehead Kiss

Sometimes, he wishes everything could be normal. Not that he doesn't appreciate what's happened to him— even if he resents little pieces of it. But he can't really hate what he has or what's happened in his life, because it brought him to _her_. His beautiful Russian spider with a temper as fiery as her hair and wit as sharp as one of the knives she wields like an extension of her hand. The reason he handed Fury $10 back on the helicarrier, although he'd never tell the other man that.

"Why'd you do it, Nat?" he whispers into the darkness of the room. The smell of sterile equipment and the iron tang of blood makes his nose itch, but he doesn't move. Not while his very own sleeping beauty is wrapped up in bandages that cover her marred flesh. He's seen her scars, has kissed and tasted and caressed every one of them, but nothing weights more on his heart than the ones she's gained now.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Her lying in a hospital bed and him with nothing but a broken arm to show for the battle. It should be him in that bed, not her, because a day passing without the sight of those beautiful dense jungle green eyes, that beautiful Cupid's bow curved into a seductive smirk, is a day he's not living.

_(Flashback)_

"_Cap, you gotta get outta there!" his earpiece crackles as Sam screams out a warning. _

_He wants to listen to his friend, he wants to get out of there, but he can't. Not without _her_ by his side. He knows the danger of going back into the fray, where there could be more grunts waiting for him with guns and RPGs._

"_Cap, if you don't get out in five minutes, the whole things gonna collapse on you."_

"_Thank, Sam, but I'm not leaving without Nat."_

_He can hear boots pounding against the concrete floor, signaling the incoming grunts. As soon as he steps into the hallway, they are shooting at him. All he can hear is Sam screaming in his ears to get out and Natasha's voice completely nonexistent, but he has to find her. He has to._

_So he presses on, throwing his shield at the bad guys and blocking bullets that ricochet off of the metal. There's the sound of something like a gun from one of Tony's video games charging up in the background, but his shield is on the other side of the hall, still taking down bad guys. He brings his body down into a crouch and waits for the hit but at the last second, when he can almost feel the heat whiz over his head, something small yet with a large amount of force, pushes him out of the way._

_This scene isn't what he had in mind when he, along with Natasha and Sam, followed one of the many lead's they've gotten on Bucky over the last few months. He and Sam had been doing a horrible job of finding him on their own and then, like a godsend, Natasha returned to save him one more time._

_Now, he shakes his head to ward off the coming dizziness of being slammed into a wall and turns to see what hit him. The sight has his stomach in knots. Natasha is curled up in a ball of the floor, fiery hair spread out like a halo, and there is a man standing above her with what looks like a plasma gun. Without thinking, he tackles the man and manages to break his neck, cursing when the weapon goes off at hits one of the other men, but at least it isn't pointed at them. Once all of the guards are taken care of, he turns back to her._

"_Nat…" he whispers, shaking her shoulders. "Natasha, wake up!" She groans and coughs, bring up little beads of crimson liquid that drip from her mouth. "Why? Why would you do something like that?"_

"_Wouldn't you like to know," another cough and blood splatters across her chin and hand. "Cap, you've gotta…" she cringes as the pain washes over her, "you gotta get out of here."_

"_Not without you," comes the stern response as the red, white, and blue hero picks up his fallen partner, being careful not to rub against what looks like a horrible burn running up and down her side. He leans down to pick up his shield, putting it on his arm to protect them from any further bullets, and leaves the building._

_(End Flashback)_

As soon as they'd gotten to the newly named Avengers Tower, Banner had gone to work on the Black Widow. She's taken a large hit to the side and the burns were going to leave scarring, but she would be okay, eventually.

"Hey, solider," comes a rasp from his left. Jolting, he's at her side, looking down at her with worried ocean blue eyes, scanning her face for any wisp of pain.

"Hey." His voice is rough from sleep, but hers sounds like she's been a smoker for years. "Do you need anything? Are you in pain? Should I get Banner?"

She reaches out, her hand shaking, and takes his chin in her hand. "I'm fine." She rubs her thumb over a familiar scar on his cheek. "Are you okay?" Her eyes are full of concern as she looks him over, a frown marring her features as she notices his arm in a sling. "You're hurt."

"It broke when you threw me into that wall," Steve sighs, grabbing her and interlacing their fingers. "I still can't believe you did that, Nat. What were you thinking?"

"That I couldn't let you get hurt." She turns away from him as a single tears slides down her cheek. "I'm expendable, Steve, but you're like the blood of this country. They need you."

He shakes his head, almost in disgust as she presses her face into the pillow, wincing as she rubs the sheets against her bandages. "And I need _you_." His voice is strong, but she can hear the crack in it. "Please, don't ever do that again."

She rolls her eyes, but they're full of tears and concern and something akin to love that it almost breaks him. "I don't make promises I can't keep." She bites her lip as she pulls him down to her level, looking straight into his eyes.

"Just remember that you're _not_ expendable to me…" he whispers. Natasha sighs and pulls him closer, pressing her lips against the warmth of his forehead, unmarred by scars.

"Thank you," she breaths against his skin as the painkillers kick in again and she drifts off to sleep, clutching his hand tightly against her chest as she does.

**I bet you all thought Nat was gonna get the forehead kiss... Well, here's another one that's a bit longer. I hope you guys like it. Sorry it some of the sentences are weird, but I really like to just write as I think. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought! **

**If anyone has an idea for a kiss that I can add, I'd love to hear some of your ideas.**

****There is now a poll on my profile in which you can vote on the next kiss! There will be a new poll after every update!****


	3. DrunkSloppy Kiss

Steve can't get drunk, so he hates it when Tony proposes drinking games after movie night. But he agrees to play, despite how much Clint whines that it isn't fair and Thor demands to be told the next time they will play a game so he can bring Asgardian mead so that even the Captain will be effected.

So he watches as his fellow Avengers down drink after drink, going from zero to staggering in about ten minutes. Natasha is sitting beside him, a sly smile on her face as her slightly glassy gaze floats around the room. She isn't as drunk as the others, but she isn't fully sober either.

"So, Red, truth or dare?" Tony asks, his drink sloshing over the sides of his glass.

"Dare," Natasha responds, sitting up straight and glaring at the man.

"Alright…." Tony strokes his chin, smirk emerging on his face as he glances as Steve, who has been slowly sipping on his drink for the past hour or so. "I dare you to… sit on Capsicles lap for the rest of the game."

While Steve gulps nervously, looking anywhere but at the redhead beside him, she just shrugs, takes a long gulp of her Russian vodka and crawls over his knees. She settles herself down, wiggles a little to get comfortable— which makes the blond man grunt in embarrassment— and leans herself back against his chest. Her sigh makes his heart flutter, because she only sighs when she's relaxed and not as on guard as she usually is. The sight of the great Black Widow relaxing is a rare sight, one Steve only gets to see on nights like these, where she's not full on drunk but buzzed enough not to be on guard at all times.

Eventually, everyone else becomes so hammered that they pass out. Natasha and Steve are the only ones awake, but the redhead's eyes are slightly glazed and, the blond captain notices, she seems to be swaying from side to side. Reaching down, he lifts her off of his lap and to the side, but only for a minute. During that minute where she is sitting on the couch by herself, she whines at how unfair he's being and why won't he just hold her. Not one to deny his secret love anything, he stands and lifts her into his arms. Beaming up at him, she snuggles into his chest and her breath is like dragon's fire on his neck.

"Steve?" Natasha's voice is soft and slurred as he makes his way over the slumped over thunder god and past a snoring Clint to the front of the common room where the elevator is.

"Yeah, Nat?"

But the small redhead doesn't say anything more. She just looks up at him with hazy eyes as he demands that JARVIS take them to her floor where, hopefully, she'll let him put her to sleep. God knows she'll need it in the morning with the hangover she's going to get.

Once they get to her room, Steve puts her down on her bed and goes to leave. But as he turns around he can feel her tugging on his shirt, so he looks at her with concern in his gaze.

"You okay?" he asks, pulling her fist from his shirt and putting it back in her lap.

"More than okay," she breathes.

And then she's fisting his shirt again, putting wrinkles in the front, and yanking him to her. Natasha's mouth crashes sloppily into his and he can feel her tongue trying to find the entrance to her mouth. Now, this definitely isn't the first time he's kissed the Russian spy, but it most certainly a first for him. Nat doesn't usually drink so much, but tonight seemed to be the night she let loose.

"Nat…" he tries to pull away, "I'm not sure—"

"Come on, Cap," her voice is slightly above a husky rasp at this point and he groans as she pulls him closer and kisses him again. This one has a little more finesse and less tongue, but it makes him shiver all the same. He can't take advantage of her, even though she's the one pulling the strings.

"Nat, you've gotta go to sleep." He gently clenches her hands in his, with just enough strength behind it to let go. He turns, again, to leave, but she whimpers and holds on to the back of his shirt.

"Stay?" Her voice is quiet and sounds almost _needy_ but that can't be right. He's probably just imagining things. Yeah, that's what's going on. He nods and pulls off his T-shirt—he feels more comfortable sleeping without one, anyway—and sighs as Natasha snuggles up against his chest. She traces the contours of his muscles for a few moments and it lulls him into a state of comfort. The redhead is whispering something in Russian, which he still hasn't learned yet, but it soon fades off into soft snoring.

"Goodnight, Nat," he whispers into her hair as he closes his eyes and wraps his arms around her. Steve falls asleep wrapped around his Russian spy with a smile on his face for the first time in a long time.

But he knows there'll be hell to pay in the morning.

**So, guys, I only got one vote for the poll and I was already working on this so I decided to upload this one. I've also added a few more options to the poll if you haven't voted yet. Please don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you thought. I love hearing from you. **

**Also, give me ideas for certain types of kisses if you have them. And check out my other Romanogers stories!**


	4. Awkward Kiss (AU)

He's always been the shy one out of their little band of misfits. A combination of geniuses, nerds, and athletes, their group doesn't follow the standards of the high school status quo. While Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are prodigies in their own right. Stark likes to fiddle with different machines (last week he took Steve's phone apart and put it back together). Bruce is more into medicine and helping the world become a better place. On the other hand, you have Thor Odinson, the oddball who loves mythology but is also the captain of the football team, which makes him the most popular of their group.

And then there's Natasha. She's been his best friend the longest. Has stuck by his side through all of his hospital days when he was young and sickly. He never really got over his asthma, or some of the other illnesses he has. She always helps him beat back the bullies that tried to intimidate him. Cleans his cuts and bruises. But she would visit him when he couldn't leave his room, or do much by himself. So he's still that scrawny little kid who never learned not to make the bullies angry. Yet she's still his friend.

"Have I done something to upset you?" Steve quietly asks Natasha as they walk down the halls of their high school. The halls are empty since it was late. Steve stayed after school to watch Natasha at soccer practice and now they're walking to her locker. He clutches his history book tighter to his chest, terrified of the answer to his question.

Natasha stops and goggles at her friend. "What gave you that idea?"

"You're just distant lately. I mean I know you're one of the most popular girls in school and you have other friends. If you don't want to hang out with me anymore, I'll understand." He uses one hand to settle his black thick rimmed glasses back on his nose. Blue eyes watch cautiously for any sign of rejection.

Natasha shakes her head, reaching up to flick the rim of his familiar dark blue baseball cap. "You're crazy. Freaking nuts. Of course I want to hang out with you. I don't care what other people say. Your opinion is the only one I care about."

"Oh," Steve replies softly. "Okay." He clutches his book tighter as he looks down, trying to hide his pleased little smile. "I'm so happy we're friends, Natasha."

"Yeah. _Friends_."

There's something in Natasha's voice that made him look up. Natasha was looking off to the side but she seemed so sad. "Tell me what's wrong," Steve pleads.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Then please tell me something. Why do you look so sad? Why won't you look at me?"

"I'm not good with words," Natasha says, moving a step closer. Her pale cheeks as flush with color. He watches as she runs her fingers through her crimson hair, tugging at the small curls that form whenever she showers and doesn't straighten it.

Steve reaches out and puts a hand on her pale arm. "You can tell me anything."

Natasha moves so that she's directly in front of her friend. She gazes briefly into Steve's eyes and looks at his lips. She takes a hold of Steve's arms and closes the distance between them.

The kiss is awkward at best. At the last minute, Natasha closes her eyes and she ends up hitting their noses together. Her forehead knocks against his baseball cap uncomfortably. She adjusts this by turning her head and they're lips now fit properly together. She doesn't know what to do after that so she just stays there. She can feel the heat on her cheeks. So there they stand, in the middle of the hallway, Steve's history book pressed between their bodies, Natasha holding his arms but not moving them.

Steve can feel his eyes widening as a blush stains his face_. Why is Natasha kissing him? Is this what Natasha was trying to tell him? That she liked him? _He can't move he's so stunned by what is happening.

It dawns on Natasha that she might have made a huge mistake. She breaks away from the kiss, feeling tears well up in her jade green eyes. "I'm sorry, Steve. I… I… I'll never bother you again."

Steve watched as the Russian redhead quickly scoops up her gym bag from the floor and turns to flee. He knows that if Natasha runs away, they'll never be alright again. Natasha's already running and Steve clutches his book to his chest as he chases after her. He runs faster down the hall than he's ever run before. His breathing speeds up and his throat is starting to tighten when he sees her reach the end of the hallway. Before she can reach the turn, he tackles Natasha to the floor; it was hard to tell who's more surprised.

"Steve!" Natasha exclaims as her face smashes to the floor.

Steve sits on Natasha's back. "You can't just kiss me and run off! That's very rude."

"Sorry."

"You have to give me time to process this. I mean this is so sudden."

"Sorry."

"I thought you hated me. I thought you didn't want to be my friend. I was ready to leave you alone forever when this happened." He's always felt like Natasha's one of those people that deserves a better friend than him. She's got all the other guys in their group to choose from, so why him? He can't do anything but wheeze and help her with her history homework.

"Sorry."

"And another thing—"

Natasha interrupts him mid-speech. "Steve, I can barely breathe like this."

Steve blushes when he realizes he has Natasha pinned to the ground with his own weight and Natasha's heavy gym bag pinning her. He's surprised he was even able to knock the strong woman over. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Steve kneels up and helps Natasha turn over and sit up. He quickly sits back down on her lap to prevent the woman from getting away again. Natasha flushes the color of her hair again and, since Steve is closer than he's ever been before, he can see that the red hue follows the path of her collarbone and sweeps down to…Steve shakes his head. Maybe when things are less awkward, Natasha will let him draw her. Steve's on her lap and their lips are so close again. Steve realizes the same thing and also blushes. He doesn't have a plan. All he can do is tell the truth.

"I like you too," he whispers as sky blue meets jungle green before he leans forward so their lips are touching again. It's still an awkward kiss, but neither of them have kissed anyone on the lips before. They'll get better with practice.

**So, here's a little role reversal for you. Steve is his pre-serum self. I hope you guys like it! Please review and don't forget to vote. If you already have, I'm reposting the poll so that you can vote again. This will happen every time I post a new chapter.**

**Don't forget to check out my other Romangers stories and tell me what you think of them!**


	5. Angry Kiss

She doesn't remember who initiates it. She doesn't even remember what they were fighting about. All she can think about is trying to one-up him as much as he is trying to fight her.

It reminds her of their sparring. All fierce and each trying to beat the other at their own game. The solider and the spy, locked in eternal combat.

Natasha vaguely remembers shouting about the fact that he doesn't have to be her savior all the time. That she can look after herself. She doesn't need him to protect her. She also remembers him shouting back. Remembers him saying that he doesn't want to be her savior. That he _knows_ she doesn't need one. But he also reminds her that he's taken it upon himself to be there for her. To protect her when she, herself, can't.

Using all of her strength, Natasha knocks his legs out from under him, making the pair tumble to the ground in a tangle of limbs. She uses her strong thigh muscles to cling to his torso, not letting him have the upper hand. She spits out the things that she knows will hurt him, tries to push him away with her words while her actions are doing the exact opposite.

The spy's hands are clutching at his chest, nails digging into his skin. Her eyes burn into his, watching as the ocean rages and storms inside them. Her beautiful ocean is a storm of grey and dark blues, making her sad but angry at the same time. She shouldn't feel such a tug in her heart or a pain within her when he looks at her like that. She can't think of it.

_He doesn't remember who initiates it. He doesn't even remember what they were fighting about. All he can think about is trying to fight her as much as she is trying to one-up him. _

_He remembers her screaming at him. Remembers her telling him that he doesn't need to save her all the time. But he remembers the time that he has. During the Battle of New York. In the underground bunker. On the highway in the car. Sometimes, he even needs to shield her from herself._

_He flails when she trips him. Her body lands roughly on top of his, making him let out a blast of breath. His Russian spider is clinging to him, trying to wrap herself around him just like the spider she is named for. Her nails dig little half-moons into his skin, making him retaliate with a harsh grip on her hip. Steve watches with sad eyes as the jungle within hers seems to alight with fire. Almost as if she is burning, trying to light him on fire as well. It saddens him and he wants to reach up, cup her cheek, and quell the raging firestorm inside her._

She reaches down, ready to fight him, to claw at him until he is nothing but skin and bones and blood underneath her. _He reaches up, ready to sooth her weary soul, until the fire is gone and his beautiful spy is all that's left._ Her eyes meet his, waiting for him to make the first move. _He waits patiently for her anger to fade so that he can kiss her like he's dying and she is his only hope._

**They come together in a clash of lips and teeth and tongue. **She bites into his lower lip, intent on marking it. _He can feel her teeth on his lip, but he tries to sooth her worries with his gentle mouth. _**It as if lighting has struck the ocean and the forest at the same time, creating a catastrophe of elements.**_Soon, he feels her anger slowly melting, allowing her to fall into his embrace. _She can feel the anger slowly fading from her, making her weak as a newborn kitten.

"_I'm sorry you feel like I'm always protecting you,_" _he whispers, his hands running through the tangles of her hair. It hangs down around their faces like a curtain of red._

"I'm sorry, too," she apologizes, eyes closing as she feels his hands run through her hair. A soft sigh leaves her lips and moves against the curtain of her hair like a breeze.

_He smiles up at her, watches as the jungle returns to its natural state of green. _She watches as the ocean returns to its normal calm blue. She leans down and rests her cheek against his chest._ He pulls her against him and rests the palm of his hand against where her heart echoes through her skin. It's steady once again and his body relaxes against hers._

"**I love you," they whisper, breath mingling in the small space between them.**

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, new chapter! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write this but I've started a few different versions and didn't know which one to go with. Then, in the last half hour, I wrote this and it really made me smile. I've never written anything like this before, with different parts and everything. This chapter doesn't really have a plot or much context, but Nat and Steve were fighting (kinda over the whole thing that happened in the Forehead Kiss chapter) with Natasha getting mad that Steve feels the need to save her all the time. But I couldn't leave it on an angrysad note, so I had it end on a happy note.**

**And the bold doesn't mean those are important sentences, it just means that those are both of them acting at the same time.**

**Please don't forget to review and vote for the next kiss. This chapter actually was one of the two choices that had the same number of votes, so I had my room mate decide which one I should do. **

**Please vote! As we keep going, there should be less choices. But I hope there are more people who vote. Thanks again for reading!**


	6. Undercover Kiss

She watches him, sees the way his eyes scan the crowd for anything suspicious. Even dressed in civilian clothing with the added protection of thick-rimmed glasses and blue baseball cap, he stands out in the thick swam of mall-goers. She, herself, is wearing a striped hoodie and leggings that make her legs look thin and attractive. Despite his protest, she'd put them both in brand new sneakers that they'd bought in some little store hidden away and cheap.

"First rule of going on the run is," Natasha whispers to her companion, "don't run, walk."

Steve chuffs and shakes his head, fiddling with his baseball cap but not removing it. There's a reason he asked the new Captain America suit not to have the cowl. He lifts a leg and wiggles his foot. "If I run in these shoes, they're gonna fall off."

That pulls a smile from the redhead as she reaches for his hand, hoping to make them look more like a couple than an undercover soldier and spy. She pulls on his hand and directs them to the nearby Mac store to one of the MacBook Pros.

"The drive has a level six homing program," she says as she holds up the little USB that's brought them so much trouble. "So as soon as we boot up, SHIELD will know exactly where we are."

"How much time do we have?" Steve asks, fiddling with his glasses and looking around nervously.

"Uh...about nine minutes from..." She pops the flash drive into a MacBook Pro. "Now."  
>"Fury was right about that ship, somebody's trying to hide something." Her fingers click against the keys, pounding out a rhythm as she tries to hack her way into the drive. "This drive is protected by some sort of AI, it keeps rewriting itself to counter my commands."<p>

"Can you override it?" Steve asks, looking over her shoulder nervously.

"The person who developed this is slightly smarter than me." She shoots him a reassuring look. "Slightly." She continues to tap away at the keys, eyes scanning the codes for any sort of break in the continuous streak of numbers. "I'm gonna try running a tracer. This is a program that SHIELD developed to track hostile malware, so if we can't read the file, maybe we can find out where it came from."

Suddenly, a light squeeze on her shoulder makes Natasha look up, first to Steve then to the surrounding area. The super solider looks unsure of himself but shuffles to cover the screen from the eyes of the employee that's standing before them.

"Can I help you guys with anything?" he asks. He's got long blond hair and a beard that looks like it hasn't been properly groomed in days. His eyes are a murky brown color, but the spy detects no threat from him.  
>Feeling the squeeze on her shoulder alerts her to how uncomfortable Steve is with this situation and her heart goes out to him. Obviously, he's never done something like this before. "Oh, no." She goes up on her tiptoes and puts her head on his shoulder. Her smile is blinding as she gives off the vibe of a girl in love and glowing with happiness. "My fiancé was just helping me with some honeymoon destinations."<p>

Steve, on the other hand, stiffens. Not only at the contact but also at the idea of pretending to be an in love couple about to get hitched. He chuckles uncomfortably and nods. "Right!" He puts a hand on the one Natasha has clutching his upper arm. "We're getting married."

"Congratulations," the Apple employee says sincerely. "Where do you guys thinking about going?"

Steve tries to be subtle as he looks back over the Russian spy's shoulder at the monitor and sees the signal traced to somewhere in New Jersey. He moves his other hand up and tries to fix his baseball cap discreetly. "New Jersey."

The employee makes a noise of approval before he goes silent. His eyes scan Steve up and down and Natasha has to use all of her weight to hold him in place instead of fiddling like he wants to. Obviously this solider is never going to be an undercover agent with ease. The man in front of them opens his mouth and even Natasha's breath hitches. "I have the exact same glasses."

Natasha breathe a sigh of relief and responds with a snarky, "Wow, you two are practically twins."

The employee chuckles and looks Steve up and down again. "Yeah, I wish," he puts his hands out as if to touch the red, white, and blue hero; "specimen." Steve visibly relaxes under her touch and she just wants to pull him to her and reassure him that they can get through his. The man shakes his head and holds up his nametag. "Uh...if you guys need anything, I've been Aaron."

"Thank you," Steve nods as the man, Aaron walks away with a smile on his face. The blond turns back to the spy. "You said nine minutes, come on," he continues to look around the store with suspicious eyes. He fiddles with his cap and glasses. Always the solider, she knows he isn't used to doing nothing, which is something he's going to have to learn if they're to survive this.

Natasha on the other hand, is used to waiting and hacking and waiting. She brushes back a strand of hair from her eyes and squeezes his bicep. "Shh, relax." The computer chips and it makes a smile spread across her lips. It begins to zoom in on New Jersey and the name Wheaton flashes on the screen. "Got it." Beside her, Steve stiffens and it doesn't feel like he's breathing against her back where he's been resting against her. "You know it?"

"I used to," he says with a rough tone, as if he's trying to hold back his emotion. "Let's go." Steve pulls the flash drive from the computer with a frown on his face, Natasha silently following as they make their way out of the store.

They find themselves once against immersed in the crowd. With almost sad eyes, Natasha watches as a family rushes past, the children carrying Build-a-Bear boxes and wide smiles as their parents chase after them. Steve notices a group of teenage boys slapping each other on the back and the smallest one in the middle flushing as he holds the hand of a pretty girl. It makes both of them reminisce.

Shaking his head, Steve continues to scan the area, eyes widening as he notices two familiar agents of the STRIKE team coming toward them. "Standard tac-team. Two behind, two across, two coming straight at us." He looks down to see the spy shooting him a strange look, but he doesn't think much of it. "If they make us, I'll engage, you hit the south escalator to the metro."

Natasha shakes her head, a smile on her lips. Steve is still such a solider. She pulls on his arm. "Shut up and put your arm around me, laugh at something I said."

"What?" the blond captain blinks owlishly at her, completely confused.

"Do it!" the Russian spy insists, almost ripping his arm off as she puts it around herself. Steve leans into her and laughs, but it sounds like more of an uncomfortable chuckle and Natasha snorts, covering her mouth with her other hand as she lets out an honest to god laugh. She shakes her head and wraps an arm around his waist, tugging him closer and her jade eyes sparkle with mirth. Steve is shocked as the thought of _'she's so beautiful when she laughs'_ flashes through his mind. He'd never seen Natasha laugh before and he definitely wants to see that laugh again. Maybe she'll let him draw her once they get out of this whole mess. He shakes the thoughts from his mind as the redhead pulls him toward the elevator.

She steps on in front of him and keeps his hand firmly in hers. It makes her feel safer than she's felt in a while. Trying not to think about _why_, she checks the area one more time. And it's just in time too. She sees Brock Rumlow get on the elevator to make his way to the second floor. Spinning around, she glances up at Steve out of the corner of eye, sort of hating how much of a high different there is between them. She looks him right in the eye as she says, "Kiss me."

Startled, Steve looks down at her, wondering if he actually heard her correctly. "What?" he chokes out.

"Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable," she tells him as if it's already common knowledge.

"Yes, they do," he shifts uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at her. He fiddles with his cap, something she notices he does when he feels unsure of himself.

Instead of responding or backing off, like he expects she will, she quickly reaches up and pulls him to her. Her hand is soft on his cheek, cupping his jaw, as her lips gently press against his. Both are surprised at the zing that jumps from her lips to his and back. Eyes close as he puts one arm on her hip and the other reaches up to tangle in her hair. At the soft tug, she makes a noise in the back of her throat that makes him pull away quickly, apology on his tongue when he notices her reaction. A small smile slowly crosses her face and her eyes flutter as they open, one hand clutching his bicep to steady herself. He feels almost as disoriented as her but both of them quickly hide the reactions as the situation comes back to her first and then him.

She turns to face the front of the escalator as they near the bottom, Rumlow already on the next level and unaware of their presence. "You still uncomfortable?" she asks, cursing at how breathless and shaky her voice sounds. Checking he's following her over his shoulder, she pushes her way the final steps.

His voice sounds slightly embarrassed and aroused at the same time as he says, "It's not exactly the word I would use."

* * *

><p>Later, after they've made it out of the wreckage of Camp Leigh and to the safety of Sam's house, she kisses him again. Without the threat of their cover being blown, and after a life or death situation, she needs that same comfort she felt when she was in his arms last time. So she pulls him to her and kisses him. He wraps his arms around her and she feels like she's <em>home<em>.

**Yay, a chapter out just as Thanksgiving (for all my American readers) comes to a close. You know what I'm thankful for? You guys! Thanks for sticking with this story and voting for the next kiss. **

**So, I added a little bit to the kiss that happened on that escalator. Steve and Nat slowly realizing what they feel but not actually admitting it to themselves. And the little blurb at the end is kinda a bonus. I'm going to add Comfort Kiss and Jealous Kiss to the next poll! Please don't forget to review and vote for the next Kiss!**

**Happy Thanksgiving!**

_**What are you thankful for?**_


	7. Comfort Kiss

_Stand there like a ghost shaking from the rain_

_[He'll] open up the door and say "Are you insane?"_

_Say it's been a long 6 months_

_And you were too afraid to tell [him] what you want_

_- __"How You Get the Girl" Taylor Swift (1989)_

She hasn't had a proper home in months. The best place she's stayed was a little shack right outside a small town where no one knew her name. But they'd found out eventually because, even with the blond hair and makeup, she's still the same. So she finds herself on his doorstep in the pouring rain. The clothes she's been able to steal don't hold up against the downpour, so she's soaked to the bone and shivering. All she wants to do is see him, tell him she's_ fine_ and go on living her miserable existence in hiding.

A small smile plays across her lips as she takes note of the house he's living in. It's a very normal looking house, almost like Sam's in some respect. And she knows it is because Sam's house is right across the street. The lights are on in what might be the living room or the kitchen and a shadow walks around, looking frustrated. She hopes it's him. She hopes he's hear so she can reassure him and move on with her life.

It's been six months since she's seen him. She remembers that last day, at the graveyard. Her final goodbye, making him promise to call that nurse that wasn't a nurse. It had made her heart squeeze to hear his chuckle, a flutter in her chest when he looks at her with those beautiful ocean blue eyes and how they light up when she cracks a joke. It hurts, but she has to give him up if she wants him safe. But she can't stay away from him. It's impossible.

"Hello?" Just hearing his voice makes her shiver, but there is a warmth in it that slightly shields her from feeling the chill of the rain. She watches as his faces swings from side to side as he looks for the person who knocked on his door. She steps into the light, shaking as his gaze lands on her. "Natasha?" His voice is breathy and surprised as his eyes light up, a huge smile spreading across his face. She's kind of glad she decided to dye her hair back to red.

"Hi, Cap." She lets a small smile echo his, but her body is wracked with shivers again. She stumbles, eyes wide as she feels herself falling, but warm, strong arms catch her and pull her into him. "Just stopped by to tell you I'm fine."

Steve scoffs and shakes his head, pulling her closer to him and dragging her inside. "Are you insane?" She shudders at his tone of voice, but she can see in his eyes that he's worried about her. He brings her to the living room and sets her down on the couch, not caring at all if it gets wet. The redhead shivers, her teeth chattering and her eyes glassy with exhaustion.

"I'm fine." She wraps her arms around herself. "Just wanted to stop by and say hi. Check in and all that."

The captain shakes his head at her. Going to his bedroom, he grabs a pair of sweats and one of his shirts for her to change into. He puts them in the bathroom and fills the tub with warm water. He doesn't want to shock her system too much by putting her cold body in hot water. When he walks back out of his room, he finds her curled into herself on the couch, hands under her armpits and her lips almost blue. "Come on," he pulls her up into his arms, carrying her bridal style into the bathroom. "Do you want me to stay?"

Natasha, her face flushed from both the warmth of the room and the concern in Steve's eyes, just nods. After being partners for so long, they've gotten used to these moments. The quiet, intimate moments when they comfort each other after a harsh mission or nightmares.

Steve turns his back to her as she gets into the tub and scrubs the dirt and grime of the past month off of her skin. While she works, Steve tells her about his mission to find Bucky. She feels sleepy listening to his voice, so she puts the washcloth down and steps out of the tub, a little bit steadier on her feet. "You can turn around now," Natasha tells him as she slips the sweatshirt over the too-large T-shirt he's letting her borrow.

Steve chuckles as the sweatshirt seems to swallow up his little spy, but at her glare he quickly stops. "You can sleep here tonight." He pulls back the comforter for her. Once she's settled into his bed, surrounded by his scent and the comfort of the warmth that radiates from him, she smiles sleepily and pulls on his arm.

"Stay."

He sighs and quickly slides into bed beside her. Before he can settle down, she raises herself onto her elbows and presses her lips to his. It's all soft and gentle and a whimper escapes her lips before she can stop it. He presses back just as softly with a small smile on his face. Cupping her cheek in one hand, he wraps her in the comfort of his other arm and she presses one of her hands against his heart. It beats out a steady rhythm and slowly lulls her to sleep.

She knows that he'll be here in the morning to give her the comfort she's missed after six months of being away from his arms.

* * *

><p>When she wakes up, all Natasha feels is warmth. She feels <em>safe<em> for the first time in months and it's all thanks to the man wrapped around her. His breath is warm on her neck and, although she doesn't want to move from her position. Instead, she buries her face in his chest, breathing in the unique scent of Army regulated soap, sandalwood, and a masculine musk that is purely Steve Rogers.

"G'mornin', Nat," Steve mumbles into her neck, making a shiver race up and down her spine.

"Morning, Cap," she nuzzles farther into his hold.

"I missed you."

"Missed you too." She knows that she can't hold anything back from him. Not when he knows her so well. Not after they tore down SHIELD and HYDRA. Not after losing the only "fatherly" figure in her life. She knows that he is the light in her darkest hour and she needs him now more than ever. The spy can't hide anything from him because he knows her too well. He'll know if she's lying. So she tries to squirm away from him, to protect him from her, from the red in her ledger that she will never be able to wash away.

"Where you goin'?" Steve mumbles, wrapping an arm around her waist to still her movements.

"I've got to get going, Rogers," she replies, her voice cracking with sadness.

"Nat, where are you going to go?" He sits up, his ocean eyes looking at her with so much concern that her stomach clenches painfully. "I know that you're safer here than you've been wherever the hell you've been hiding out before." He shakes his head and brushes the strands of hair from her eyes. "I've got you now. You're safe here. I'm not gonna let you go again."

A tear slides down her cheek at his words, green eyes glassy and full of pain. "I... I can't stay, Steve." She tries to pull away from her again, but he holds her close and cups the back of her head with one hand and rubs the pad of his thumb against her cheek. "I... I can't!" She pulls away and begins to gather her clothes, which he made sure to put in the dryer after she fell asleep, and grabs the knife she'd hidden against her thigh from the counter. "I'm sorry."

"Nat, wait!" He grabs her wrist just as she's about to open the door. "Stay, please." His eyes are full of compassion for her, which she doesn't understand. She doesn't deserve his kindness or compassion or hospitality.

"I can't," she whispers, her voice cracks. She pulls on her jacket and opens the door.

"Fine," Steve says and Natasha withers away from his look. "Let's go."

She blinks back her shock when he grabs his jacket from the rack and pulls the umbrella from the stand. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you," he shrugs. He grabs her hand and pulls her to him, despite her protests. "We're in this together, Nat." He smiles at her. "I told you that back in DC, but it still applies now." He smiles down at her as he opens the door. "Either we both stay here or we go wherever you've been staying."

"Fine." She glowers at him, but his smile is infections. She rolls her eyes and smacks his chest, earning a chuckle from the soldier.

Her eyes widen in surprise as he uses her hand to reel her in a plant a deep kiss on her lips. She buckles in his hold, clinging to his muscular arms, her nails digging into his skin. A whimper crawls up her throat and spills from her lips as he pulls her closer, cradling her head in one hand, hair slipping between his fingers like silk, as his other hand holds her hip.

With his kiss, he brings the comfort of last night. He brings the comfort that she's never had before. He brings summer to melt the cold of her icy Russian heart and the ocean of his eyes reaches up to kiss the edge of the jungle that is her eyes.

With his kiss, she feels all of the comfort of _home_.

**This chapter took me all day to write, but I wanted to finish it before I go to sleep. So, this takes place 6 months after the graveyard scene of CATWS. Okay, Jealous kiss won the poll, but I needed to set up the scene for that kiss to happen. Sorry if you wanted the Jealous kiss this chapter, but the next chapter will be the Jealous kiss. Just to let you know, Natasha stays with Steve (like lives with him) but they are not together. They've obviously kissed a few times.**

**Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. I'm putting up the poll but it won't be for the next chapter but for the chapter after the Jealous kiss. **

**Hope you liked it!**


	8. Jealous Kiss

They learn to live together.

Steve knows to be quiet when he goes for his morning run because Natasha's a light sleeper and will attack anything that moves before around ten in the morning. On the other hand, Natasha knows that Steve's runs a tight ship and hates it when he finds her hair in the shower drain and will complain about it for the rest of the day. Steve knows that sometimes Natasha will get nightmares and likes to be held… even if she won't admit it once she wakes up alone in the morning. But they learn each other's quirks and their flaws and it helps them become better partners.

Fury, through unknown means, had gotten him a job at a nearby school… as a history teacher. She knows that he loves it because he always comes home with tired eyes, an over-the-shoulder bag filled to the brim with papers to grade, and a huge smile on his face. Over dinner, as always, he tells her about the antics some of the kids try to pull in class. He also tells her of the other teachers; some stories make her smile and others, like the new female teacher, Karly.

Natasha, although hesitant, applies for a job at the school with her identification and a fear that she'll be rejected because of who she is. Surprisingly enough, she is told that she'll be starting the next week as the stand-in PE teacher. The redhead suspects Steve has something to do with her job acceptance, but she doesn't confront him.

Now, they wake up together, go for a run, have breakfast together, and go to school. They share a brief hug before going their separate ways. Him toward the classrooms, her toward the gymnasium. Turning to say a final goodbye, she finds that Karly has already attached herself to his arm, gripping it tightly with her claw-like nails. A growl bubbles up within the Russian, her icy heart clenching with an unknown feeling. Shaking it off, she heads toward her designated area.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Nat, come sit with us." Steve waves her over during their shared lunch period. Unfortunately, they also share it with Karly… who is, again, hanging off his arm. Steve, who doesn't seem to notice this simple fact, but it still makes the ex-SHIELD agent bristle at the thought of this <em>child<em> clinging onto her solider. Wait… her solider? Sure, they've kissed a few times… and maybe she's been having some intense _dreams_ lately that he stars in… but he isn't hers and she isn't his.

"Um," Natasha bites her lip, trying to ignore Steve's puppy dog pout when he realizes she's thinking of sitting somewhere else in the room or going back to her office. "I've got tons of health papers to grade and a class in forty-five minutes."

Steve stands up, ignoring the way Karly whines at him, almost hissing at him to sit down. "I'll come with you." He smiles at her… that smile that makes her knees just a bit weaker and her heart flutter like a bird in a cage. "Just let me grab my stuff." He pulled his brown bomber off of the back of his chair and slung it over his shoulder. Karly whined again, but he ignored her and that made the spy smile.

He grabs her hand and pulls her from the staff dining room, a huge grin on his face.

* * *

><p>The next day, when Steve and Natasha enter the lobby, Karly is waiting for the blond ex-solder with a "seductive" smile on her face.<p>

So, the redhead turns on her heels and pulls Steve's lips to her. Her mouth is rough against his, but he just lets out a small grunt before pulling her to him and kissing her harder. She pulls back with a small smirk when she hears the brunette behind her shriek in anger before her high heels go clicking as she storms off.

"I told you…" Natasha rasps, her breathing rough against his lips, "public displays of affection make people uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Steve smiles down at her, the glasses on his nose askew from her forceful kiss. "That's not exactly the word I would use."

Her laughter follows him throughout the day and, when he gets home, he pulls her into many more kisses that make her laugh and smile more. Natasha's jealousy fades over time as they slowly begin to form a stronger, more intimate, connection.

Now, when she sees Karly in the hallway, she smiles and waves at the brunette, making the diamond ring glisten on her finger. The other woman only growls in response.

**I am so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I've been busy with family and finals and getting back into the whole "school" thing. I promise I'll update more frequently now. Actually, I'm taking a class that is specific to genre and fan fiction. So please, don't forget to review and tell me what you thought. And vote for the next kiss you want to happen!**


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